Microsoft targets parents of back to schoolers with new Office 365 ads

Microsoft is on something of a roll with advertisements at the moment. After taking a swipe at iPads and Google, the latest round of ads, this time for Office 365, takes a slightly different approach -- tugging on the heartstrings of parents about to wave offspring off to university.

The commercials are slightly in-your-face with their delivery, but while Office 365 University is mentioned, at no time is it shown on-screen. Both advertisements take much the same approach, with a slightly awkward conversation taking place between a teenager about to head to college, and a parent keen to hide the fact that they are going to miss their child.

If it all sounds a little sickly sweet, well… it is a bit. But the ads also show that Microsoft has a heart as well as a sense of humour. While both parents and students say one thing out loud, on-screen captions reveal what both are really thinking. See what you make of them.